Wash Up
by AdoptedTracySister09
Summary: After a storm, Gordon and Alan find something on the beach, something that will change International Rescue forever. Rated T to be safe.
1. Prologue

Prologue

She had been travelling for days. Thank goodness she lived near the docks. Everything she had brought with her had been waterproofed, a good thing too as a storm rolled in. The waves quickly became rough. **FLASH!** Lightning struck. She had to find land soon, or become shipwrecked. The sky roared. The storm took full effect.


	2. Chapter 1

A Brilliant Idea

Scott looked out of the lounge window. "Looks like a pretty bad storm tonight," he thought aloud. Alan and Gordon were sitting on the sofa playing some racing game with John watching from Thunderbird 5, while Virgil was playing the piano in the corner.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to be out in _that."_ muttered the youngest brother, his eyes not leaving the race he was currently winning for a second.

"But, huge storms mean perfect waves come morning, particularly if it lasts all night. Anyone else up for surfing tomorrow ?" Gordon asked.

"I'm in!" yelled Alan, finally snapping back into reality.

"Sorry Gordo, but I simply have too much to do on Thunderbird 1 I have to catch up on tomorrow."

"And I'm staying up here. Out of harms way." John interjected. "You remember what happened last time ?" the space bound brother said, winching at the memory .

Alan and Gordon burst out in a fit of giggles. The boys had once pranked their brother by wearing a fake shark fin and swimming around him and his surfboard.

"I still can't believe that you feel for it." Virgil said, leaving the music

"Yeah , but your face was priceless." Gordon got out between giggles, nearly falling off the sofa.

"Anyway, I am not going surfing with you two ever again." John reminded his brothers with a roll of his eyes.

"Well I'd love to join you but I promised Parker I would help with FAB1. Something about the nav system being off." Virgil groaned. It would be a long day for him.

"Looks like it's just us then Alan," Gordon declared, "we'll have to wake up early tomorrow to get the best waves."

And so it was settled. At dawn, the two youngest would go down to the beach for a morning of surf. Little did they know, however, that there would be a surprise waiting for them.

 **A/N**

 **Thanks to everyone who has read an reviewed. The whole Mary Sue thing I don't understand but this is my first story.**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter**


	3. Chapter 2

A Shocking Discovery

Alan and Gordon woke up just as the sun was rising over the island.

They ran down to the kitchen and grabbed breakfast before going back to their rooms to wash and change. Gordon got a couple of beach towels for afterwards.

Once the two boys were in their wetsuits, they headed down to the beach, stopping only to grab their pre-packed lunch and surfboards. Alan also made sure he took a communication device just in case.

They spent an hour or so surfing the smaller waves in a small cove, as practice, before heading up the beach to ride the larger waves.

As the brothers left the cove, Gordon noticed something odd up ahead. Something that looked like an old speed boat. It was turned over with large parts of the hull scattered along the beach.

"Stay there Alan "Gordon insisted as he carefully made his way to the boat. Being the only one who had brought footwear, if it was only flip flops, it was safer to go alone and he knew it.

Upon reaching the upside down hull, or what was left of it , Gordon noticed something inside. He gently lifted the boat, but when he saw what was underneath he nearly dropped the boat.

"Alan! Call Scott! Now!"

 **A/N**

 **Thanks for being patient guys. I promise that I'll update by Friday night. Sorry for all the cliffhangers as well. Again, thanks for sticking with me.**


	4. Chapter 3

As Alan attempted to explain to the eldest brother what was going on and that he was needed, Gordon flipped the remains of the boat over to reveal a young girl.

She didn't seem to be much older than Alan, with brown hair that currently covered her face. She was lying on her stomach so Gordon dragged her away and turned her over onto her back. He sighed with relief when he saw that she was still breathing, albeit shallow and laboured. He proceeded to check her injuries.

Her left foot was at an awkward position (at best dislocated, at worst broken), she also had a pretty bad cut along the left side of her face starting at her forehead. That worried Gordon a bit as there could be internal injuries as well as infection. The sea had washed away most of the blood from her face and body, but her clothes were stained red. This led Gordon to another cut along her left arm from shoulder to elbow.

When Scott arrived with a stretcher for the girl, Gordon filled him in about the injuries that he knew of and the worries of her head injury.

"I've told Brains to get a bed ready in the infirmary. He'll give her an x-ray of her foot and head. We should probably check her arm, just to be safe." the eldest told his younger brothers.

Gordon helped Scott with the stretcher while Alan carried a purple and green backpack he'd found further up the beach , which was pressumed to belong to the unconscious girl on the stretcher.

When the three brothers reached the infirmary Brains was waiting for them. He had Scott and Gordon tranfer the girl to a bed.

"I'll do a full m-medical check on her. Th-that way I w-won't m-miss anything." Brains explained to the others. "It'll take a f-few hours to get the results." he said before the brothers left.

"You two go enjoy the rest of the morning. I'll keep you posted" Scott instructed.

As he and Gordon headed back to the beach, Alan began to wonder. "Where do you think she came from?" he asked his immediate older brother.

"Beats me. I'm sure Scott will be getting Kayo to question her when she wakes up. _If_ she wakes up"

The two boys spent a couple of hours completing as to who could ride the biggest waves. All the while questions burned in their minds. Who was she? Where did she come from? Would she wake up? If so what would happen to her then?

 **A/N**

 **Yay, this chapter is finished. The ones before this were pre-written so this one came straight out of the noggin. And now you know what they found.**

 **I'll try and get the next chapter up before the end of next week.**

 **See ya then and thanks again for sticking with me!**


	5. Chapter 4

The Results Are In

Gordon and Alan were just making their way back to the house when they bumped into Scott.

"I was just going to call you two. Brains just finished the medical tests. I was wondering if you two wanted to know the results."

"Sure. She was in pretty bad shape when we found her." Gordon was still worried about the head injury.

As the three brothers entered the room, Alan's eyes widened. The girl was still unconscious, but she was covered in bandages. Her left arm was in a cast from wrist to elbow. Her left leg also had a cast on. She had a oxygen mask covering her mouth. The cut on her head had been taped over. She was in pretty bad shape, as Gordon had said just moments ago.

"Her w-worst injuries are on her left side," Brains explained as he saw the brothers walking over. "Her arm was b-badly b-broken, as w-was her f-foot. I suspect some k-kind of impact. But her head had nearly all of us w-worried. Luckily it only seems to be a concussion, and a severe one at th-that. W-we w-won't know the f-full extent of it until she w-wakes up."

"But she will wake up?" Alan asked from behind Scott.

"I'm quite sure of it."

"What will happen to her then?" Gordon asked this time.

"We'll worry about that when she wakes up. For now all we can do is wait" the eldest explained to his younger brothers.

That put Alan slightly at ease. She was still alive at least. But she wasn't out of danger yet. He knew that she would be safe when she woke up. All he could do now was hope she didn't gain any serious problems from her concussion.

 **A/N**

 **Thanks for all the support you've been sending. It really does mean a lot to me.**

 **I'm afraid I won't be able to update the story until the weekend as I'm going away for the week. I will try to update at the weekend but I can't promise anything.**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter at least.**

 **See you soon.**


	6. Chapter 5

Movement

Brains had offered to monitor the girl overnight, he often worked well in the night anyway. He brought plans for a new Thunderbird 3 thruster and pulled a table closer to the bed.

Every half an hour or so he'd check the girl's monitor, make notes and sit back down. After several hours, nothing had changed.

Because of this, and his own need for sleep, Brains decided to just go to bed. But before he did, he set up MAX's charging base in the infirmary so that the robot could watch the girl.

Just as he left the room, there was movement. The girl's nose twitched and her head turned to the right. As small as it was, that movement proved that this girl wasn't going down without a fight and that there was hope for her yet.

 **A/N**

 **I know this chapter is short but I didn't need it to be long.**

 **I leave on Monday so I'll be unable to update until the weekend unless I update tomorrow which I doubt highly.**

 **Anyway, thanks for all the support you've been sending and I'll see you soon.**


	7. Chapter 6

Status: Consous

The next day, Brains woke up early and went straight down to the infirmary. When he got the, he was surprised to see that the girl's head had moved.

Just as he was about to check her monitor when Alan snuck in.

"How is she?" the young boy asked, making Brains jump.

"She seems to be improving. Th-there seems to have been movement during the night."

Alan sighed with relief. "So she will wake up now?"

"It seems more likely now."

Alan decided to stay with the young girl until she woke up.

He stayed in the infirmary for 2 days straight, only leaving when Grandma forced him to eat with his brothers and shower. Luckily there were no space missions.

The others started to worry about him. Clearly the girl'd had an impact on the youngest brother. Scott worried the most. He'd never seen Alan like this before.

On the third day, Alan had just come back from breakfast when, as he entered the infirmary, he heard a small groan. He went over to the bed as quietly as possible. As he stood next to the bed, the girl's right hand twitched and slowly her entire arm began to stretch out.

Alan called Brains to come through as just as he ended the call, her eyes began to open.She groaned again and her uncast hand reached for her head.

Just as her hand reached her head, Scott and Brains rushed into the room. This caused the girl's eyes to widen in fear. Sensing this Scott backed away from the bed.

"Hi." Alan said softly as to not frighten the girl anymore. "Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you. You washed up on the beach about 3 days ago."

At this, her eyes went back to normal. Scott stepped closer again. "Could we possibly ask for your name?" he asked in a similar voice to Alan's.

Her mouth opened but no sound came out for a few seconds. Then in a broken voice she croaked " C-caitlin."

 **A/N** **Just so you know, the complete thing on the story info is wrong and it will not let me change it. Because of this I will tell you when I have completed the story.** **Thanks again for the support and sorry for the delay but as I said last time I have been away all week. I'm afraid that it is the same situation again so I'll try to update at the weekend. But again, no promises.** **Please don't think I've forgotten about you all, I've just been away.** **Thanks again and see you soon**


	8. Chapter 7

The truth is revealed.

 **A/N** **Just a quick warning that this chapter contains characters talking about abuse so if you are in any way offended by this then I apologise in advance. Otherwise enjoy this chapter.**

After Brains checked Caitlin over to ensure that her concussion hadn't caused any damage to her brain, he and Scott left the infirmary to tell the others that she was awake and able to talk. Alan was left alone with her. She was clearly nervous about what was happening but Alan's smile was giving her a small sense of security.

"I'm Alan by the way." the young boy said softly.

"Well you already know my name. How long have I been out?" she asked him.

"Well, when we found you, you were already out. But you've been here for 3 days."

"Huh. That long then. But where is here?"

"All you need to know is that you washed up on an island in the south pacific. If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

"That's kind of a long story. Sure you're up for it?" she asked with a small smile of her own. Alan simply nodded in response.

"Ok Then. Well, I was born in England where I spent the first 5 years of my life in a care home. It was OK there, roof over my head and all that. But anyway, just after my 5th birthday I was taken to Australia to live with some guy and his wife. They couldn't have kids so they adopted me." Caitlin paused to check that Alan was still listening. "They were lovely. She would bake with me every Sunday and taught me to swim and he taught me how to ride a bike and took me to the zoo. But when I was about 11 she died in a car accident. I still don't remember what happened exactly although I think that a drunk driver hit her car. I was devastated. She was pretty much the only mother figure I've had in my life. But after the funeral everything went wrong."

Alan took notice of the fear that crept slowly into her voice.

"You see, I was in the car with her. We were on our way back from swimming and we were laughing and talking. She turned to look at me when the other car hit us. He blamed me for the accident. A few weeks after the funeral, I'd come home from school and I could smell the alcohol from the front door. When I went inside, he was out cold on the sofa. I made myself a sandwich and went straight to my room. It was a good few hours later when he came in, I could tell he was still drunk. He came up to me and just," she took a deep breath before continuing, "hit me across the face."

Tears started to form in her eyes. She looked away as they began to roll down her cheeks. "He started to yell at me. He would do this nearly every night. When I was 13 he started to kick me as well. He was clever about it, only hitting and kicking where my clothes were."

Caitlin was fully crying now. Alan suddenly felt how she must have felt for the past few years, completely helpless.

After regaining her composure, she continued to tell her story. "This has been happening for the past 5 years or so. I'd had enough. One of my friends told me that theirs dad owned several boats by the coast and one was being scrapped. They said I could use it if I wanted. That's when I made up my mind. My plan was to run away and go to New Zealand, start a new life there. No one would miss me, I could leave unnoticed. So I did. It took a couple of days to walk to the bay where the boat was. I was out at sea for about a day when the storm rolled in. The last thing I remember is a large rock face getting closer and closer until my head suddenly hurts a everything goes black. Next thing I know I'm waking up here. I can't go back. Promise me you won't make me go back there!" she demanded through tears. Alan, although scared, gave her his word. He handed her a box of tissues and she dryed her eyes.

Once she'd calmed down, she yawned. "You best go to sleep now. You need the rest." Alan told her softly. Caitlin only nodded before her eyes closed. Alan stayed with her until he was convinced that she was asleep. As he left the infirmary, he remembered his promise. There was no way she was going back to that man, not while he was around.

As he went back upstairs, Alan wondered whether or not we should tell his brothers. His best bet would be to tell Kayo. She'd know what to do about it. Now all he had to do was find the head of security.

 **A/N**

 **If you stuck around for this chapter then thank you. It was incredibly difficult to write and I don't want to offend any of you.**

 **The next chapter shouldn't be as late and probably not as long. Also please check out the midquil Big Brothers Worry For A Reason I wrote the other day.**

 **See you soon**


	9. Chapter 8

An Unlikely Confidante

Alan ran upstairs to the lounge. Upon arrival he bumped into Virgil. Virgil took notice of the fear in his brother's face. "What happened to you? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Where's Kayo? I really need to talk to her about something. It's really important."

"Alan. You can tell me. I promise not to tell Scott, or anyone else for that matter, not if you don't want me to."

"You'd best sit down then." Alan then proceeded to tell Virgil what Caitlin had told him. By the end of the story, Alan could see the rage in his brother's eyes. This was never a good thing.

"I'm sorry Alan, but Scott needs to know about this. I'd still tell Kayo. She can talk to the kid, she might be able to get some more information from her"

"Caitlin's asleep now but I'll still find Kayo. Any idea of where she is?"

"I think she went down the gym with Scott. I'll come with you, if you want."

Alan nodded and the two set off for the gym. When they got there, Kayo was practicing kicks.

Scott spotted his brothers making their way over to him. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"Alan managed to find out where the kid came from. Along with her back story."

"Well? What did you find out?" Kayo asked, looking straight at Alan. He took a deep breath, and once again, relaid all the information the girl had given him.

"How is she now?" Kayo asked, after Alan finished.

"She's asleep now. I'd wait until she wakes up again, she needs all the rest she can get." Virgil put in, saving Alan's voice.

It was another 4 hours before Caitlin began to stir from her sleep. Her brown eyes slowly opened to MAX staring at her. She stared back at the robot for a moment.

"Hello there." was all she could say. In response, MAX beeped a few times. Realising that Caitlin didn't know what he was trying to say, MAX pulled out a tablet from his round holder. He then typed out what he said to her.

"Kayo sent you to talk to me? I'm glad someone carers." Caitlin muttered after reading the text on the tablet, although she was a bit confused as she didn't recognise the name. MAX then typed that she was getting better and would be allowed out of bed soon. Her entire face lit up at that.

The two of them started a full blown conversation with her reading the tablet and he typing it. Little did she know that the robot was recording the whole thing for Kayo. However Caitlin started to trust him and soon had told him everything. Even more than she had told Alan. This continued until Brains came in to check her progress, which he was quite happy with. Before MAX left, he promised to come and talk to her whenever Alan couldn't as the blonde had been out of action long enough. Caitlin smiled for the first time since she had arrived on the island. She hoped she would be well enough soon so that she could make it to New Zealand, however, a part of her was starting to feel like home on the island. She sighed before eating the sandwich Brains had left her.

 **A/N**

 **So Caitlin has made friends with a robot? Pretty cool huh? But does Kayo have enough information? Will she be allowed out of bed? Stay tuned for the answers.**


	10. Chapter 9

Hidden Talent

Kayo sat listening to the recording of the conversation between MAX and Caitlin. From it she was able to get the address of the house she had lived in as well as the name of the man who she had run away from. Her and Scott were then able to tell the GDF. A few hours later they were alerted of the arrest.

The man, Jason, had a history with alcoholism and the death of his wife Susan had caused him to relapse. He had pleaded guilty and was to be sentenced in a few months.

"What's going to happen to me?" Caitlin asked Alan after he had told her. Her arm was getting better by the day but her leg was taking its time to heal.

"Don't worry. You'll be staying here until the sentencing. Scott wants to keep an eye on you for the foreseeable future. I think he's starting to get a bit attached to you."

Caitlin just smiled and watched as Alan drew a red rocket on her leg cast.

3 weeks later and Caitlin's arm had completely healed up, and without any permanent damage to her brain she was allowed into the main house for the first time. Because her arm was still weak, she was given a wheelchair so she could get around.

Alan pushed her up to the lounge where everyone was waiting for her. Even John had come down to meet her. After she had met everyone, Caitlin was allowed to see her new room.

It was one of the guest rooms but was still quite large. There was a double bed in the right corner and next to it, a glass door leading to a balcony. On the left side of the room, there was a wardrobe and another door to the bathroom. Caitlin smiled when she saw her backpack sitting on the bed waiting for her.

She decided to leave the room and go back to the lounge. She was just coming to the entrance to the room when she heard someone playing the piano. The tune was familiar to her as she often heard it growing up. It was a lullaby one of her friends had taught her. Suddenly remembering the words, she started to sing along.

 _"Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire_

 _The war outside our door keeps raging on_

 _Hold onto this lullaby even when the musics gone, gone_

 _Just close your eyes, the sun is going down_

 _You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now_

 _Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound"_

By the time she reached the end of the chorus, Virgil had stopped playing and turned to face her. "Does anyone else know you can sing like that?" Virgil asked.

Startled, Caitlin shook her head. "I never really sang for people. I'm not really good with crowds."

"You're a bit like John. He hates crowds and people. Why do you think he stays up in 5 all the time."

"He must get lonely every once in a while?"

"He has EOS. He loves it up there."

Caitlin just nodded and went back to her room. Virgil followed her and helped her into bed. She was asleep meer minutes after he left, starting to feel like home here, somehow. However, she wondered how long it would be before they learned her other secret.

 **A/N**

 **Now before anyone moans at me, I don't know how the law system works in detail. I know the basics. I also don't know about Australian law as I am British, so I can only apologise for any inaccuracies I include in this story.**

 **The song I included was _Safe And Sound_ by Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars. I do not own the song so all credit where its due.**

 **So what do you think her other secret is? What will it mean for her and the others?**

 **Stay tuned and thanks for the support.**


	11. Chapter 10

Secret's Out

The next day, Caitlin woke up and almost instantly reached for her backpack. She was glad to see it in one piece, she was even happier when she saw that the contents was still in good condition. After removing the waterproof wrap from everything, she found a small metal ball. When she pressed a button on the side, a propeller popped out the top and the ball rose from her hand.

Leaving the ball hovering in midair, she found a purple box. Inside were a pair of blueish grey glasses. She sighed with relief to see they were intact. Once she put them on, she felt a bit more comfortable.

Caitlin leaned back in bed, thinking about the night before.

She'd met the whole family. She was already quite fond of Alan and Scott. John seemed to be friendly enough, although he stayed in the background a lot. Virgil was nice too. She had been a bit uncertain around him to begin with but soon learned that he was kind of sweet. Gordon was a character though. He was loud and really energetic. She was still a bit uncomfortable around him but she knew that she would warm up to him eventually. Thinking back, Gordon had called her "a broken record" at one point after she had started to repeat herself a lot. She knew he had meant this as a joke but she had taken it to heart a little.

All of a sudden, there was a knock at her door. "Come in" she shouted. The door opened to reveal Brains and MAX. Brains came over to her, his eyes not leaving the hovering ball.

"Pretty cool huh? Not nearly as good as MAX obviously but considering it's just old parts of a drone, it ain't bad."

Brains laughed a little before replying, "It really is rather impressive. I may b-be able to help you improve it. I w-was w-wondering if you w-were ready f-for b-breakfast?"

"Oh yeah. I'm starving! If you want, I can tell you how this thing works." she said gesturing to her hovering ball.

"W-why not" Brains said as he helped her back into the wheelchair. "I th-think Virgil's making pancakes."

Caitlin's face lit up as they left the room. The ball followed them out. "There's a tracking chip in my glasses so it knows that it's me it's supposed to follow." she explained as they went. "I wish it could do more though. Programming isn't part of my strongest skill set."

At breakfast, Caitlin managed to eat four pancakes and honey. Gordon watched her, clearly impressed. A couple of hours later, John called about a flood in rural France leaving people stranded. Scott decided that he and Virgil would go. Virgil could pick up the people in Thunderbird 2 while Scott would try to drain the river a bit. In less than a minute, the two were heading down to their ships.

Alan and Gordon decided to go back to Gordon's room to play video games but for John to keep them posted in case they were needed.

Caitlin stayed in the lounge with Brains and Grandma Tracy. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the pool starting to move backwards to reveal the nose of Thunderbird 1. Then all of a sudden, the engine started up. The noise was deafening for the girl in the wheelchair. Quickly, she put her hands over her ears, but it was no good. Her eyes started to well up as she pressed down on her ears harder and harder. Brains noticed this and without a second of thought, put a pair of ear defenders over her ears. Her hands moved to push the defenders into her head.

By the time Thunderbird 1 was out of earshot, tears were rolling down Caitlin's face. She opened her eyes and saw Brains looking straight into them.

He could see the fear that the others had seen before. "You OK?" he asked gently. She shook her head. He and Grandma Tracy shared a look of concern. They let her get a hold of her breathing and dry her eyes. "I'm sorry. I freak out when there's loud noises like that." she muttered.

"W-why?"

"Well the thing is that... I erm... I'm autistic." She looked at them both, waiting for a response.

 **A/N**

 **So... She's autistic. No big deal right? We shall see.**

 **I just want to say that I love reading your reviews so again, thank you so much for your support.**

 **See you soon**


	12. Chapter 11

Sometimes I Wish I Could Be Something More

Caitlin looked at the floor. She was sat on the sofa with Brains next to her. He had moved her in an effort to calm her down. He didn't know what to do. Should he say something? Should he ask if she needs anything?

"You don't know how to react do you?" Caitlin asked out of nowhere. Before Brains could answer, she continued. "Not a lot of people do. I've learnt to deal with it."

"Is it OK if I ask you about it?" he asked gently. He knew that he'd have to be patient with her. She turned her head to face him, a slight smile creeping across her face.

"That's something I don't hear very often. What do you want to know?"

Brains decided to start with an easy question, "W-when w-were you diagnosed?"

"I think I was 7. I didn't really know what it was back then."

"Other th-than noises, how does it affect you?" he thought it might be an uncomfortable question but was surprised to hear her reply.

"I do repeat myself a lot. As Gordon so helpfully put it, 'you're a bit like a broken record aren't you?' I'm also a bit nervous about crowds and strangers touching me and I suck at sarcasm. I always seem to feel out of place. You ever feel like that?" she said, turning her gaze to Brains.

"A little." he admitted quietly.

"It does bother me a bit. I can't do most of the things that teenagers do. You know, do to concerts and stuff. I'd freak out before I even walked through the door." she looked at the floor again.

"Hey you two, Scott and Virgil are on their way home. No casualties luckily. ETA five minutes." John said through the comms, his hologram appearing out of nowhere.

Caitlin looked over at Brains who glanced back at her before standing up. "Th-thank you John. I'll need to talk to them w-when th-they get b-back."

John nodded and disappeared again. Brains helped Caitlin back into her wheelchair and took her back to her room. A few minutes later, she could hear the Thunderbirds coming over the horizon. She put the ear defenders back on until the noise turned to silence. From her room it wasn't so bad, still too loud for her liking.

After lunch, all of the earth bound family were gathered in the lounge again.

"Will someone please tell us what is going on?" Scott asked a little impatiently. Caitlin took a deep breath before starting her explanation.

"Errm... Well, earlier when the ships launched... I may have... I kinda freaked out. I do this with loud noises such as fireworks, planes and now your ships. I do know why. I'm autistic, but only mildly. That's why I repeated myself a lot last night, it's why I was so nervous around most of you. I understand if you don't want to help me anymore, most give up on me when I tell them."

Virgil was the first to respond. "Caitlin, trust me. All this does is make us want to help you even more. No one is perfect, no one. We've never given up on anyone and that's something we plan on keeping the same. We'll do anything to make life here easier for you. OK?"

The young girl looked to meet his gaze, she could see the warmth in his eyes, something she had missed for many years. She smiled before looking around the room. "You promise this won't change anything?"

Scott stood up and hugged her, "We promise."

 **A/N**

 **Yet another chapter over and done with. Caitlin's autism affects her in the same way mine does. If you have any questions about it then please don't hesitate to ask me through the private messaging thing they have on here. Just ask within reason.**

 **Also I love reading your comments and I have to say that your theories are interesting. Don't worry, all will be explained shortly.**

 **Next time guys**


	13. Chapter 12

Just Desserts

The day of the sentencing finally arrived. Caitlin's leg was still in a cast but her arm had fully recovered so she could now use crutches to get around. She enjoyed the freedom of movement.

Scott had asked her if she wanted to attend the court the night before. "Of course I do. I need to know that he isn't getting off lightly." she had told him.

Lady Penelope met them at the courthouse. "Good to finally meet you." she greeted Caitlin with a small handshake. "I must say that you look rather well considering the circumstances, the boys have been taking good care of you then." Caitlin simply smiled and nodded. Although she seemed nice enough, Lady Penelope was still a stranger to Caitlin who remained a little nervous around her, sticking close to Virgil who she had grown to trust.

"Would you like me to stay with the car, m-lady?" a voice asked from behind the group. "That won't be necessary, I think it'll be fine for an hour or two."

"Yes m-lady, of course m-lady." Caitlin spun round to see an older man standing behind them. Scott had told her about Lady Penelope's driver and companion. He seemed friendly and his smile put her at ease a little.

The five of them made their way into the courthouse and to the room where the sentence was to be given. The room was on the ground floor, something that Caitlin was happy about, and before long they had taken their seats. Caitlin started to play with the hem of the dress that Kayo had lent her. It was a little too big but it wasn't noticeable when she was sat down.

A few minutes later Jason was lead into the room. His gaze fell on Caitlin, she straightened up and put on a brave face. She saw his eyes narrow but took no notice. Virgil tapped her shoulder and she stood as the judge entered.

As the judge sat down, the rest of the courtroom fell silent. Caitlin started to feel uneasy again.

"Jason Smith, you have pleaded guilty to all charges of child neglect and abuse. You are lucky that the child survived." the woman almost shouted across the room, causing Caitlin to jump in her seat. As she continued, the judge's voice grew louder and louder. Caitlin had to try harder and harder to keep control of her breathing. Virgil kept looking over at her knowing what this was like for the teen.

"Your actions are inexcusable, however I do have to take into account that you are in fact an alcoholic. So, I hereby sentence you to a 5 year referral to a rehabilitation center, followed by 5 years in prison. That is all." The hammer went down. Everyone rose as the judge left before making their own way out.

"Scott? What's going to happen to me now?" Caitlin asked from a bench outside the court house. Scott and Virgil had spoken to the judge after the sentence has been delivered.

"Well, the judge has decided that it's best for you to stay with us for a while longer."

"Really!? That's fantastic!"

"Come on. Let's go home and tell the others."

 **A/N**

 **Yay she gets to stay! Again, I'm 17 I don't know how the law works in detail. I just gave Jason what I think he deserves.**

 **I've decided that this fanfiction will end at Christmas with an extra special chapter. I'm doing a Halloween chapter too so you can look forward to that I guess.**

 **See ya next time**


	14. Chapter 13

A New Friend

Caitlin was incredibly excited at dinner that night. Scott had almost literally dragged John from Thunderbird 5 who had made pizza for everyone. Each family member had their own pizza base and could put whatever toppings they wanted on. Caitlin had put chicken on hers as well as the standard cheese. Gordon and Alan had put everything on theirs. The others had fairly normal combinations. John had also made homemade chips.

As everyone was eating, Gordon asked how the sentencing had gone. "Rehab for 5 years and prison for a further 5 years." Scott explained.

"What's going to happen to you?" Alan asked Caitlin who looked up, eyes wide and her mouth full of pizza. After she had swallowed she was able to answer. "Scott and Virgil spoke with the judge afterwards, and she said that it would be best for me to stay here for a while longer." Alan looked at Scott who nodded. "That's awesome!"

"Don't worry kid, we'll keep you busy." Gordon joked.

"Actually I w-wondering if you'd like to help me out in the lab. I could teach you a f-few things if you w-want?"

"Really? That would be great! Can we start tomorrow?" the young girl's eyes were wide open and she had a goofy smile plastered across her face.

"If you come down around 8ish tomorrow morning, I'll b-be more th-than happy to show you th-the ropes."

That night Caitlin couldn't sleep, she was too excited. It was almost midnight before she nodded off.

When she woke up it was half 6. She headed straight for the kitchen to grab breakfast. After a bowl of cereal she went back to her room to wash and change out of her pajamas. Once she was in a pair of canvas shorts and a blue shirt, she went down to the lab as fast as her crutches would allow her.

When she got down there, Brains turned around at the sound of her crutches. He smiled at little and walked a little to meet her. "You seem to be getting b-better on th-those."

"It does take a lot of getting used to."

When the pair got back to the workbench, Caitlin noticed a small box. Her curiosity led her to stare at it a little. "I w-wanted to talk to you about th-that." Brains spoke up, noticing the curious look on the girl's face. "I w-was th-thinking th-that you may w-want, instead of improving your current device, to try th-this." and with that, he pressed a button on the side of the box.

Out of the box, a kind of drone emerged, however on closer inspection, Caitlin realised that it looked like MAX. She laughed a little as it flew around the room.

"Mini-MAX," the engineer explained, "he's yours if you w-want him."

Caitlin turned to look at him, the same wide eyes as he had seen several times before by now. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious."

"Sure. I'd love to keep him!"

The two of them spent the rest of the morning discussing the tiny robot's abilities. They also removed the chip from Caitlin's glasses, she also explained that the only receptor for it was inside the sphere she had used a few weeks ago. That afternoon, they went round each of the Thunderbirds (except 5 of course) and talked about what they could do and what they were used for.

By the time she went to bed, Caitlin really did feel at home for the first time in years. She smiled as she slowly drifted off, dreaming of what it would be like to fly her own Thunderbird.

 **A/N**

 **I had to. I always wanted her to have Mini-MAX while I was writing the previous chapters.**

 **The tracking chip does absolutely nothing, sorry guys but it never did.**

 **Next time I may include Gordon, I feel like I've left him out a bit. Let me know if you agree, and if you think I've left anyone else out let me know as well.**

 **See you whenever I post again.**


	15. Chapter 14

Misadventure With The Prankster

A few days later, Caitlin had finally got the cast off her leg. She still had to use crutches as to allow her leg to strengthen up. She was laid on the sofa reading a book she had in her backpack. It was about a televised fight to the death fought by 24 teenagers, she was finding it really hard to put down.

She had just finished the chapter when out of nowhere she heard someone yell, " **GORDON TRACY! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SHIP!"** Caitlin jumped a bit at the sudden noise. Next thing she knew Virgil marched into the room, Caitlin looked at him puzzled. Virgil beckoned for her to follow him.

A couple of minutes later and they were standing next to Thunderbird 2. Caitlin had to hold her laughter as she saw what had been spray painted across the sides. "Does this happen often?" she asked the clearly furious brother, her eyes not leaving the pink and purple flowers on the body of the green ship. "You'll be surprised." he said through gritted teeth.

Scott came over to them, a slight smile across his face. "I take it we're going to 'divide and conquer'?" Caitlin looked confused and was about to ask what that meant when Virgil turned around with a smug look. "What do you think?" he said, surprisingly calm. "Caitlin, you check the lounge and kitchen. Scott, beach and pool. I'll go around the bedrooms." Caitlin rolled her eyes and went back upstairs.

Back in the lounge, Caitlin didn't know where to start her search for the 'fish' as his brothers often called him. She decided to start by looking in the secret door leading to Thunderbird 1. She knew where it was but not how to open it. Mini-MAX flew over to the door and pointed at the lights on the wall. Caitlin held them and was surprised to find that she could pull them down. She stepped back as the door opened. She stopped it when it was wide enough for her to slip inside. Gordon wasn't in there, just Scott's uniform.

Mini-MAX used his life sign detector to deduce that Gordon wasn't in the lounge so the pair went to check the kitchen. Alan ran past them on the stairs, "Virgil told me to check the ships." he explained quickly.

In the kitchen, Caitlin was surprised to see that one of the cupboards had been emptied onto the countertop. She was about to check it when Virgil walked in. She signalled for him to be quiet and pointed to the cupboard. In response, he knelt down on the other side of counter and out of sight.

Once she had composed herself, Caitlin opened the cupboard, and low and behold, Gordon was crouched inside. "Virgil sent out the search party then?" to which the girl shrugged, "I think he's checking the bedrooms." Gordon nodded and then climbed out of his hiding place. No sooner had he stood up, Virgil jumped out from behind and grabbed the back of Gordon's shirt, knocking over the pots and pans that were on the counter.

Virgil had his brother in a headlock when Grandma Tracy walked in. "And what is going on in here?" she asked. Gordon stopped struggling and just looked up as Virgil let him go. The blonde fell to the floor and Scott and Alan ran into the room.

After Scott had explained the events of the morning, Gordon was sent down to clean all the flowers off the side of Thunderbird 2, under the eye of Virgil of course. It took him all afternoon.

"Has Gordon ever pranked you?" Caitlin asked Kayo later that night. "No. He does have some common sense. He knows what I'd do if he did. Most of the time his pranks are just harmless fun, it's when he goes near the ships where things get out of hand." the head of security answered as she threw some more old clothes into a box. Most of them were t-shirts and a couple of summer dresses.

The two of them went back to Caitlin's room and put the clothes away before heading to the pool. Caitlin sat on one of the loungers and watched the others in the pool. Mini-MAX sat next to her as she finished the book she was reading earlier. The ending was worth it. Brains offered her the chance to borrow some of his old books, which she accepted happily.

A few hours later, the family went down to the beach to watch the sunset. Caitlin had never seen anything more beautiful in her life, and when she went to bed she sat on the balcony and looked up at the stars making a mental note to ask John about some of them. She often wondered what it was like to live in space on your own. Although she did like her own space, Caitlin preferred the company of the earthbound brothers who she was starting to love. She curled up in bed with her head full of possible adventures.

 **A/N**

 **A Gordon Tracy prank at last. I hadn't used him for a while so I had to give him this one.**

 **The book I referred to was The Hunger Games. I would highly recommend the trilogy for those who like action and adventure. I of course do not write the book so full credit where it's due.**

 **I need costume ideas for the boys and Kayo for Halloween. If you have any ideas or suggestions please let me know. Just PM me on here.**

 **See you soon**


	16. Chapter 15

Halloween Party- Part 1

Halloween was one of Caitlin's favourite holidays. This was mainly due to the lack of fireworks, although she loved the costumes and the idea that for a single night, knocking on a strangers door lead to free sweets. This part had almost always confused her, as she was told from a young age not to accept sweets from strangers.

The only thing was that she had never been to a Halloween party before. She assumed that it would be like a birthday party but without the presents and the cake. She was still pondering this when she got down to the lab to pick up her costume.

She was at the bottom of the stairs when she heard a voice she didn't recognise but she could make it out as a female voice. Not wanting to listen in, Caitlin stayed at the bottom of the stairs. Mini-MAX left Caitlin's shoulder and flew over to check for the call to be over.

Once it had, Caitlin continued over to Brains. "Hiya" she called out in her usual bubbly tone. Brains quickly turned around and for a single second, Caitlin could have sworn he looked a little flustered. "You OK?"

"Y-yes I'm f-fine. I a-assume you're h-here f-for your c-costume?"

"Ye-well mine and Kayo's." Caitlin raised her eyebrows a bit, Brains' stutter was something she was used to but she had never heard it that bad before. He smiled at her and pointed out a cardboard box on the floor near his workbench. Caitlin reached inside and pulled out a gold sequined top hat and put it on her head.

"I also made th-the costume f-for MINI-MAX you asked f-for." Brains handed her a small black bat costume.

"It's awesome. I'd best head back up. Kayo said she would dye my hair properly later." she said indicating to the ends of her hair that was now scarlet red.

Brains allowed himself a small smile. "Could you do me a f-favour?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"W-well you know th-that my old f-friend f-from University is staying for the w-week? Virgil is picking her up tomorrow and I th-thought it w-would b-be a good idea for you to meet her w-when she gets here."

"Of course. What time do you want me here for?"

"Around 8:30 should b-be f-fine."

As soon as the plan was finalised, Caitlin ran back to the lounge in order to find Kayo. Luckily she ran into her on the way up. "I was just coming to find you. Ready for your hair to be completely red?"

It took a few hours to get Caitlin's hair the right colour. "Wow" she said under her breath as she looked in the mirror.

"Come on. Time to give Scott a heart attack." Kayo joked.

That night, John had come back to earth for a few days, Scott did freak out a little at Caitlin's change in hair colour but everyone else seemed to like it. Virgil explained who he was picking up and when. Gordon was the first to finish dinner. As soon as he had, he went back to his room to put the final touches to his costume.

Caitlin was incredibly tired and so decided to get an early night, something she hadn't had in a few days. By the time she was awake it was 7:35.

She washed and dressed in record time before going to grab breakfast. Scott made her a waffle. She had to admit that it was a first for her. She was used to cereal or toast on a morning.

Her and Scott ended up talking about favourite Halloween movies before Virgil called to say he was on his way home. Caitlin picked up her ear defenders before wandering down to the lab.

Brains was pacing around the room when she got there. He stopped as soon as he saw her. "Sit down. Virgil's going to be another half an hour or so." she insisted, "Did you sort out that box of old parts and stuff for me?" Caitlin asked as if to calm him down.

The two of them spent a peaceful twenty minutes going through the box, Brains explaining what certain things were, what they did and what they used to be a part of. Caitlin lifted her head as soon as she heard Thunderbird 2 in the distance. She quickly felt for her ear defenders and put them on before following Brains over to where the ship would stop in the hanger.

When Thunderbird 2 landed, the body of the ship rose to leave the module on the ground. The door dropped open to reveal the people inside. No sooner was it opened, Sherbet ran out straight for Caitlin. She froze for a second as the dog barked but relaxed when it put its paws on her knees. She knelt down to play with him before standing up to greet the others.

Lady Penelope came over, pleased to see Caitlin on her own two feet, and shook both of the friend's hands. Next was a young boy with who Caitlin guessed was his father pulling a couple of suitcases.

"Good to see you again Aidan. Mr W-Williams." Brains greeted the two of them

"Hello again." the boy said back with a tip of his cap, clearly excited to be at the island. "Is Gordon around?"

"I'm sure we'll run into him soon." Mr Williams said with a small chuckle. Virgil and Parker followed them, both carrying several cases.

That left only one other person. Her hair was tied up in a bun and she wore red glasses. Her face completely lit up when she saw Brains stood there.

As soon as she was close enough, she hugged him tight. Caitlin looked over at Virgil before going over to help him with some of the cases.

"He always said that they're just friends. Needless to say that we don't buy it." Virgil explained.

"I can see why" Caitlin muttered as the group headed to the house. She kept looking back to see the two talking and she couldn't help but smile a little.

The others met them upstairs. Aidan ran over to Gordon who pushed the brim of his cap down so that the young boy couldn't see. Scott took some of the cases off Parker in an effort to help. Caitlin just sat on the sofa, not being the biggest fan of strangers and large groups.

She would get used to them. Eventually.

 **A/N**

 **Yeah I went there.**

 **Sorry it's been a long time since I've updated but I wanted to get this chapter right. I will put the second part up on Halloween.**

 **Originally I wasn't going to add Aidan and his dad but I though it would be a good idea.**

 **Let me know what you think.**

 **See you soon**


	17. Chapter 16

Halloween Party - Part 2

That afternoon, everyone was sat in the lounge. Aidan was talking to Gordon, telling him about his new model rocket while his dad, Robert as Caitlin had worked out, thanked Scott for the hundredth time.

Caitlin was sat between Gordon and Alan, the latter keeping a close eye on her. She was playing with the hem of her shirt and darting her eyes around the room. She'd met Lady Penelope before as well as Parker. She decided to go over to them, she needed to talk to someone.

"Good to see you walking on your own." Lady Penelope said as the girl walked over.

"I've been off crutches for a good two weeks now. It feels so much better. I'm still getting used to my new hair."

"I think that red hair suits you ."

Caitlin laughed a little. "Thank you. Scott pretty much flipped when he saw it. Luckily it's wash out dye so it'll be back to normal in a few days."

As the two continued to talk, Caitlin felt someone tap her shoulder. Spinning around, she smiled when she realised that it was only Brains.

"I hope you don't mind if I b-borrow Caitlin f-for a minute or two?"

"No problem. What do you need me for?"

"I w-want you to meet someone."

"Yeah. I promised I would. Come on."

Scott joined the pair. "Good to see you again Professor." he said offering his hand out.

"You too," she replied returning a hand shake. "And who's this?" she asked spotting Caitlin who was staring at the floor.

"Th-this is Caitlin. Caitlin, th-this is my old f-friend f-from university Professor Moffat"

"Hi" Caitlin said, still staring at the ground. She lifted her hand slightly in a wave before playing with the hem of her shirt again.

Mini-MAX lifted from Caitlin's shoulder and hovered over to the busy group back in the lounge.

Caitlin laughed a little. "Mini-MAX," she explained looking up. "Brains built him but let me have him. He's become a friend. Sort of".

At that moment, John brought up pizza for everyone. "I thought we could eat and watch a movie." Everyone made their way back to the sofa area. Caitlin went back to her spot between Alan and Gordon. Mini-MAX landed on her lap as soon as she sat down.

They ended up watching an old sci-fi movie. It was one of John's favourites and the others didn't seem that interested but Caitlin's eyes were glued to the projection.

Half way through, Aidan and Robert went to bed and by the time the movie was over, only Caitlin and John were left.

Caitlin decided it would be best if she went to bed. She headed to her room, leaving John to watch the stars. As soon as her head hit her pillow, Caitlin was in a deep sleep.

The next day, Caitlin pretty much rolled out of bed. She was still pretty tired but went down to get breakfast before helping to set things up for the party that night.

After several slices of toast and a glass of orange juice, Caitlin went through her usual routine before heading back to the lounge. Brains was trying to unravel a load of fairy lights.

"Need a hand with at?" she asked before sitting against the wall and working her way through the knots in the wire. She was done in half an hour.

John and Kayo were working on the party food all morning. Gordon and Virgil made a playlist for later. Alan was helping out here and there with Caitlin. Everything was set up and ready to go by lunchtime.

That gave everyone all afternoon to get into costume.

The boys met in Scott's room while the girls grouped together in Kayo's room. Caitlin had already put on most of her costume. She was sat in a chair while Lady Penelope did her makeup. Once that was finished her costume was complete, she grabbed her top hat before looking through the mirror she saw that her costume was a mostly accurate depiction of Columbia from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Caitlin looked around the room and saw Kayo enthusiastically dressed as a simple ghost, Sherbet ran around the room as an adorable pumpkin, Professor Moffat was dressed as Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas and Lady Penelope as a witch .

"Let's go and find the boys" Lady Penelope said before leaving the room. As Caitlin and the others headed towards the lounge Caitlin saw Virgil in an impressively detailed warewolf costume, Scott in a classic Dracula costume, Brains as Dr Frankenstein and MAX looking like a freakishly realistic spider. Loud footsteps eminated from behind them . Out of nowhere, two identical aliens came running through the room. They had the voices of Alan and John , unfortunately both costumes were so similar that Caitlin couldn't tell which on was which apart from a significant height difference. Behind the two energetic aliens Parker trudged along, he was begrudgingly dressed as a skeleton. Aidan and his dad were zombies and very realistic ones at that. That only left Gordon. He showed up eventually in a full Creature from the Black Lagoon costume. Caitlin didn't recognise him at first.

As Gordon started up the music, Caitlin placed her hat on her head and went over to Alan and John. When she got closer she realised that she could easily tell them apart by their eyes, John's eyes were much more green tinted than Alan's.

"Hey. Look at you" Alan smiled as he noticed the young girl. "You certainly look the part, I'll give you that."

"I still have no idea how Kayo managed to talk Scott into letting me wear this. He wasn't a fan of the shorts." she explained nervously, after all her shorts were a little bit shorter than she would normally wear.

Alan laughed. "Yeah but you know it's just because he cares." he joked.

"I must say that your hat is strangely cool." John said before going to get food.

Throughout the night Caitlin managed to talk to almost everyone. Towards the end of the night, Gordon came over and told her to go to the part of the lounge that was above the portraits. It was when the music for Time Warp started up that she knew what was happening.

Gordon started to sing along with the male parts and Kayo sang the female part. Caitlin couldn't help but laugh when John started to give the instructions.

"Let's do the Time Warp again

Let's do the Time Warp again" everyone sang before looking over to Caitlin. She took a deep breath and sang her part, squeeky voice and all.

"Well I was walking down the street

Just a having a think

When a snake of a guy gave me an evil wink

He shook-a me up, he took me by surprise

He had a pick up truck and the devil's eyes

He stared at me and I felt a change

Time meant nothing, never would again"

After the final chorus, Caitlin ran back down and ended up squashed in the middle of a family hug. Most people wouldn't have thought too much about it, but for Caitlin, it meant the world. She realised that these people really did care about her.

After a few more songs, including a very awkward slow dance, Aidan and Robert were the first to go to bed again but it was understandable for the young boy to be tired. Everyone else stayed and watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Caitlin fell asleep on John's arm and when the movie was over, he carried her up to bed. He was rather fond of her and hoped tha Scott's plan would work as he left the room.

 **A/N**

 **And it's finally done.**

 **I really want thank my amazing friend who helped me to write this. I couldn't have done it without you buddy.**

 **I hope you enjoy Halloween and I'll see you soon. Hopefully. I need a break for a couple of days.**

 **Happy Halloween guys**


	18. Chapter 17

An Unexpected Sight

Halloween had been and gone. Caitlin's hair had returned to her usual shade of brown after several washes. Most of the guests had gone home, except one.

Scott had asked the Professor if she would like to stay on the island for another two weeks as a sort of holiday. She accepted without a moments hesitation.

Caitlin was sat by the pool one day when John came over to her. She was a little surprised to see him as he'd gone back to Thunderbird 5 earlier in the week. "Afternoon." he said, a little awkward.

"Hey. I thought you went back up the other day?"

"I did. But I was wondering if you'd be interested in stargazing tonight." he said looking back down at his feet.

"Sure. Sounds like fun, what time?"

"I'll come find you."

Caitlin smiled as she watched the only red head go back in the house. She could tell that John was truly making an effort to make sure she was comfortable around him, and she really wanted to learn the consultations that were visible from the island.

After another hour or two, Caitlin went back inside to find something to eat. Since she arrived here, her appetite was growing quite quickly.

She found one of her favourite chocolate cake bars. She then went upstairs and curled up on the sofa with another book. Lately, Gordon had taken to calling her a "little bookworm." Not that she minded, it was somewhat true after all.

She'd gotten a good bit through when Virgil came in and started to play the piano. Again she recognised the tune. She turned to face him and saw that Gordon was there with a guitar.

"Come on" Gordon encouraged, "if you know it, sing along."

Caitlin rolled her eyes and made her way over to the pair.

"Fine." Virgil laughed a little and started from the beginning.

"There's a girl in the backyard bangin' on her drum

Sittin' in a junk pile laughing at the sun

Singin' "ah ha ha, I just wanna be a rockstar"

There's a boy in the backseat singin' to the song

Playin' on the radio, knowing he's the one

Singin' "ah ha ha, I just wanna be a rockstar"

Singin' "ah ha ha, I was born to be a rockstar!"

There's a girl in the tree top looking at the stars

Waiting for a touchdown comin' in from Mars

Thinkin' "is there anybody out there?"

There's a boy thinking of her playin' his guitar

Searching for the answer buried in his heart

Thinkin' "ah, ha ha, is there anybody out there?"

Singin' "ah, ha ha, is there anybody out there"

If there's a meaning can you show me a sign

The more I look it just gets harder to find

The world is spinnin' and I wanna know why

And we're all getting older wishin' we were young

Hangin' on the memory of what we would become

Singin' "ah ha ha, I was born to be a rockstar"

Singin' "ah ha ha, I just wanna be a rockstar"

Singin' "ah ha ha, I was born to be a rockstar!"

If there's a meaning can you show me a sign

The more I look it just gets harder to find

The world is spinnin' and I wanna know why

And maybe we will never figure it out

I got a feelin' that's what life's all about

I'm learning anything is possible now"

The two boys sang the backing vocals to allow Caitlin to catch her breath.

"Take a ticket and get off the line

Take a ticket and get off the line

Take a ticket and get off the line

Take a ticket and get off the line

So take a ticket and get off the line

Take a ticket and get off the line

So take a ticket and get off the line

So take a ticket and get off the line"

The three of them sang the final chorus together.

"Singin' "ah ha ha, I just wanna be a rockstar"

Singin' "ah ha ha, I was born to be a rockstar!"

Singin' "ah ha ha, I just wanna be a rockstar"

Singin' "ah ha ha, I was born to be a rockstar!""

As Gordon and Virgil played the final notes of the song, all three bust out laughing.

Later in the evening, John came to find Caitlin. The night was clear so all the stars were visible. She was once again curled up in her usual spot on the sofa, this time she was watching a movie with Brains and the Professor on another sofa.

"You ready?" John said making Caitlin's eyes widen. John had never seen this happen before but the others had told him that it was by far the best thing the girl did. They weren't wrong.

The two of them went down to the beach where John had already set up his telescope near several blankets and cushions. He also had a tin of biscuits and cake and two flasks of hot chocolate.

Caitlin lay down on the blanket with her head on one of the cushions while John sat next to her. After a minute, he lay down too.

"How many constellations do you know?" John asked

"Literally none. Can you tell me some?"

"Sure. Let's start over here." he said, pointing to part of the sky. Caitlin followed his hand and pointed too. "That one there is called Eridanus." he moved his hand to draw out the constellation. Once again, Caitlin copied his movements.

"This one is Virgo."

"My star sign." Caitlin whispered.

"Want to see the moon up close?" John asked.

"Yeah!"

John let Caitlin look through the telescope. She sat on the sand while he moved it so that she could see the moon.

"It's beautiful." John heard the girl mutter.

After an hour or so, Caitlin let out a yawn, it was getting late and she was usually in bed by now. "You go on up to bed. I'll pack this away." John insisted.

Reluctantly Caitlin agreed that it was time she went back to her room. She stood up and stretched her arms before walking back up the beach.

When she got back to the house, she could still hear the movie upstairs. She thought she would go up to the lounge to say goodnight, she had to pass through on the way back to her room anyway.

The movie had just finished as she made it to the top of the stairs which joined the lounge and kitchen.

Other than music playing through the credits, the house was silent. This made Caitlin a little uneasy. She went to turn the projector off before taking notice of something that she couldn't help but smile at.

On the sofa, Caitlin was surprised to see that Brains was laid on his back asleep with the Professor's head resting on his chest. His hand was placed on her back as if to make sure she didn't fall.

Caitlin decided to leave the pair where they were and just turn off the projector. She did find a blanket that she carefully put over them.

She then went to bed herself. By now she was exhausted and managed to sleep till the afternoon when Gordon woke her up with a rubber snake.

Some things would take some getting used to but life was finally looking up for the young girl.

 **A/N**

 **Another chapter done. Only two left. It's been amazing writing this, all your comments have (hopefully) helped me to improve.**

 **I really did want to add in another song at some point and this one is Rockstar by A Great Big World. If you want me to add in any other songs then please let me know.**

 **I would also like to tell you that if you have any questions or give suggestions then you can email me at: . I've done this as it should be easier than trying to use the private messaging system on here.**

 **Thank you so much for sticking with me for this long. It's strange to think that this story is almost over. But don't worry, At the end of the final chapter I'll go through my plans for the character.**

 **See you later**


	19. Chapter 18

Night Terrors

The Tracy family could see the improvement in Caitlin.

Her a appetite had grown significantly and she was eating much more. She was also becoming more comfortable with them. Her and Scott often took walks on the beach, by now they had removed the wreakage, and they would just talk.

Gordon had probably seen the biggest improvement in her. Before she would avoid him, unless he was with one of the others, but now she would ask to join him in the pool. The pair would often attempt to improve the strength of Caitlin's swimming and it really was getting there.

However, it was clear to everyone that she had created the strongest bond with Brains. She was curious about everything and so willing to learn. He was the one she would go to every single morning to see if he needed any help or was working on something new and needed a spare pair of hands. She had opened up to him too, admitting that she was scared of having to leave the island one day, something that had scared him too. They'd become best friends.

Despite all of this, there was one thing that she could never tell anyone.

After she had told Alan what had happened at the hands of Jason, she had nightmares about the years after the crash.

Every time she fell asleep, she would be in her room back in Australia. She could hear him shouting down the hall. Before long he would be right outside her bedroom door, yelling and banging against the door. He would then burst into the room, looking around for her with so much anger in his eyes. All the young girl could smell was the alcohol on his breath as he continued to shout. As soon as he saw her cowering on her bed, he'd march over, grab her by her hair and throw her to the ground.

When she tried to get up he would hit her across the face, causing her to fall back down. He'd kick too. It was mostly her stomach but sometimes he would kick the back of her legs.

Once he had lifted her up by her neck before dropping her on the floor.

He always left her in the middle of her bedroom, curled up with her head close to her chest, tears streaming down her face. She felt helpless, like she couldn't turn to anyone.

One night, she jolted awake around midnight. This nightmare had been the worst in a while. She gasped for air and her eyes filled with tears as they darted around the room to make sure she was still on the island.

That particular night she had forgotten to get a drink and she was in desperate need for one. She got out of bed and crept over to the door.

Outside, the hall was silent, Caitlin had put on the thickest socks she had so that she wouldn't wake up any of the others.

She crept through the house down to the kitchen. She was surprised to see Alan leaning against the counter looking straight at her. "I knew you'd have to come down eventually. You forgot your water cup. Why didn't you say anything about the nightmares?"

Caitlin looked at the floor and shrugged. "I didn't want to worry you. I thought they would pass I guess, that they would just go. I ...I ..."

Alan walked over to the now crying girl, hugging her as she cried into his shoulder. She returned the hug, not wanting Alan to let go. He didn't, he just held her until she stopped crying and let him go.

"Better?" he asked softly. She nodded as he dried her eyes with his shirt sleeve.

"I'm scared. I really need to talk to Marty, he always helped me back in Australia."

"Wait a minute, who's Marty?"

"Martin Owens. He was pretty much my best friend. We've been friends since I first moved to Australia. He goes out with the school mean girl, Aubrey Jessop. Not quite sure why though, she hates me."

Alan yawned, "I think it's time we both went back to bed."

"Yeah. I'll see you later."

Alan watched her leave, formulating a plan in his head. He'd need his brothers' help if he was to carry it out. He went to bed with the final details falling perfectly into place. All he needed to do was get the others on board.

 **A/N**

 **Because the email address doesn't show up on her I'm going to see if I can put it in my bio. I'm hoping that it will.**

 **This was going to be a one shot but I changed my mind an put it as another chapter as it seemed to make more sense that way.**

 **Either way, see you next time**


	20. Chapter 19

Winter Ball

Gordon laughed as Caitlin looked in amazement around the ballroom, her jaw dropped a little. Christmas decorations were piled up in boxes ready to be put up.

"I'll be in need of your help to put all of these up," Lady Penelope told the family, "I'm afraid it will take a while but it is just this room that needs decorating. As you can see, the tree is all ready to be decorated, I do hope that you don't mind."

"Of course not," Scott insisted.

The family was staying at the Manor for the annual Winter Ball. It would be Caitlin's first time there and she was a little scared, this was a new place for her. She knew that there would be several surprises over the weekend. One being for her. This made her nervous.

She had flown over in Thunderbird 2 with Alan, Gordon and Brains. John and Scott came in Thunderbird 1. The flight was pretty smooth, the noise wasn't unbearable either.

"Well us girls need to go and pick up our dresses this afternoon." Lady Penelope continued to say, "you boys will have to go your best until we get back. Scott, can I leave you in charge for an hour or so?"

"Yes of course, you just tell me where you want everything putting."

"Thank you Scott. Parker, can you please see that everyone's bags are in their rooms. Everyone is in their usual rooms and Caitlin is in the room next to Alan."

"Yes m-lady. Right away."

The rest of the group went upstairs to unpack. All the boys had several bags with plenty of clean clothes to last at least three weeks. It was a shame they were only staying for a few days.

Caitlin herself only had one bag. Inside was an outfit for each day a couple of pairs pajamas.

As they walked down the hall, one by one, the the boys went into their rooms. Alan disappeared into his room leaving Caitlin to take the last room on the hall.

Inside, Caitlin's jaw dropped once again.

In the middle of the room was a king-sized four-poster bed with lilac sheets. On the left wall was a huge white wardrobe with enough room for the girl to have an outfit for everyday of the year. The top right corner was a bay window with cushions that matched the bed. Along the wall was a bookcase full of paperbacks and hardbacks.

Caitlin stood in the doorway, almost in shock, for a few minutes taking in everything before going inside to unpack. No sooner had she finished, it was time for lunch.

After lunch and Scott being given instructions on how to decorate the ball room, Lady Penelope, Kayo and Caitlin set off to the heart of London to pick up their dresses.

By the time they got back night had fallen but the English countryside was still beautiful, even in the dark.

Caitlin was too tired to do anything and just went to bed. The shorter days were catching up on her and she would have to be up early again so she could get ready in time for the ball.

The next morning, Caitlin had to rush breakfast before going back upstairs to her room to shower and wash her hair. A professional hair stylist had been hired for the day as well as a makeup artist.

Both were middle aged and were very gentle towards the young girl. They agreed not to do too much with her hair due to her being quite young of face. They also used makeup sparingly as Caitlin made it clear that she still wanted her light dusting of freckles to be visible. But by the time they were done Caitlin almost didn't recognise herself.

Her hair had been put into several small twists that made up a sort of bun. A silver clip had been added at the side. Her makeup was minimal with a small amount of blush to her cheeks, subtle eyeshadow and a little concealer to hide the dark circles under her eyes. A nude lipstick had been lightly added for a little colour.

Lady Penelope helped Caitlin into her dress. The skirt was light blue and flowed to the floor. The bodice was white lace with sleeves that stopped just past her elbow. A blue ribbon was tied in a bow around her waist at the join of the two parts of the dress. Caitlin's shoes were silver flats with a strap around her ankle.

Down in the ballroom, Caitlin stood next to John as she admired the decorations. Everything was covered in shades of red, green, silver and gold. Thousands of fairy lights hung from the ceiling and the tree almost reached the ceiling after the star had been balanced on top.

The two stood to the side, watching people dancing and talking in groups. "Do you ever wish you could become invisible?" John asked, completely out of the blue.

"Sometimes," Caitlin admitted, "I don't really like these kinds of things. Too many people and you know what I'm like with the noise."

"Me either. I've been to a few, Scott usually has to bribe me though."

Caitlin laughed a little to herself. Ju then she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around to face a young man around her own age but several inches taller than her. His face was covered by a red mask, they were at a masquerade ball after all.

"Might I have this dance?" he asked shyly as a slow song started to play.

Caitlin looked over to John who just shrugged and went to get another drink.

"Umm... Sure why not?" she replied nervously, taking the boy's hand as he lead her over to the arena where most people were dancing. "I should probably warn you that I've never really danced before."

"Don't worry. You're not the only one."

There was something familiar about this boy, but Caitlin just couldn't put her finger on it.

He seemed to notice this confusion and couldn't hold back a smile. He spun her out and then back into him. When she was close enough, he whispered in her ear, "OK there koala bear?"

At this Caitlin looked straight into his eyes. "Martin?"

The young man didn't say anything but lifted his mask to the top of his head, revealing his face.

Caitlin was almost in shock. "Marty!" she said as loud as she dared, hugging him tight. "Wait a minute. What are you doing here?"

"One of the guys you've been staying with invited me. He said that it'd be a bit of a surprise for you."

"Alan. And he wasn't wrong about it being a surprise. Does Aubrey know you're here?"

"No she doesn't. I didn't see the point of telling her when I broke up with her a couple of weeks ago."

"Why did you? If you don't mind me asking."

Martin took a deep breath before answering. "It was just after you went missing. I was really worried about you and I may have brought it up a lot until I heard the news that Jason had been arrested. After that we found out that you were alive and well but not coming back. I was upset, my best friend had left and wasn't coming back in the near future. Aubrey didn't like that I wasn't giving her all my attention and accused me of cheating on her. Luckily no one believes her.

Anyway, about a month ago, I caught her kissing another guy. I think he goes to the other school near us because I didn't recognise him. I left it for a few days before I ended it. I don't know why but I actually feel relief. It's great, I can do what I want, hang out with who I like and actually study properly."

Martin hugged Caitlin again. "I've missed you." he whispered again into her ear.

"Me too. I can't believe she'd do that to you. I don't blame you for ending it."

"I never really liked her anyway."

The two spent the rest of the night talking, catching up with each other and just enjoying seeing each other again. They would get food between dances and laughed when the other would do something that was an old habit of theirs.

By the end of the night, Caitlin was in a universe of her own. No one else mattered except the boy who held her in fear of losing her again.

She had to admit, this night had been better than she thought it would be.

 **A/N**

 **ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT!! I'll be posting it on Christmas eve. I promise.**

 **What do you think of Martin? You might want to remember him for later stories. Just saying.**

 **Again, if you want know anything about me or my characters, you can email me using the email address I included at the end of my profile description.**

 **See you next time**


	21. Chapter 20

A Christmas To Remember

Christmas eve finally arrived. The entire family had been looking forward to it for the past week. Everyone had put in so much effort to make sure that Caitlin had the best possible Christmas ever.

The young girl was humming as she helped Virgil decorate the dozens of cookies that they had made earlier. Scott was going through the family movie collection, gathering everyone's favourite Christmas film.

"Looking forward to tomorrow?" Gordon asked Caitlin.

"Yeah! I have all week. This is my first real Christmas for years!"

Gordon laughed to himself as he walked past to help Alan and Grandma put all the presents under the tree upstairs.

Later that night, the family all gathered in the lounge to watch a couple of movies before bed. Caitlin's pick was The Grinch, a film that she had loved since she was little. Even now it was funny.

When it was finished, Gordon was desperate to watch Die Hard. Caitlin and John weren't really keen on it and so decided to get an early night. The others didn't get to bed until midnight.

Alan was the first one awake. He snuck into Gordon's room to wake him up before the two of them went to wake Caitlin up.

By the time she had opened her eyes, the rest of the family was awake. They all made their way to the lounge to open presents before breakfast.

Caitlin sat by her pile, watching everyone else open their presents first. However, before long it was her turn.

All eyes turned to her as she took the first nearly wrapped parcel from the top of the pile. She slowly began to peel off the paper looking up at the others.

"Just rip it open!" Gordon exclaimed as he lost his patience.

Caitlin laughed as she did just that. Inside was 24 piece tool set with all the handles painted purple. There was also a matching tool belt. She looked over to Brains with a smile plastered across her face.

As she made her way through the other presents, she got a telescope and constellation guide from John; a snorkel set from Gordon; a pair of light up trainers from Kayo; a navy blue guitar from Virgil; a superheroe movie box-set from Alan and a set of posters from Scott.

"Hold on. There's one left." Grandma said, handing Caitlin a brown envelope. "It's from all of us."

Caitlin opened it up and pulled out the contents. It was a series of forms, she gasped when she realised what they were for.

"They're adoption papers." she said quietly.

"Yep." Scott confirmed. "We've loved having you here and frankly don't want to see you go. We thought you'd like it if you could stay. We'll only send them off if it's what you want."

"Are you kidding? I'd love to stay!" At that she jumped up and hugged Scott tight. "Thank you so much. For everything."

"Can we have breakfast now?" Gordon asked getting a laugh from everyone.

The rest of the day was perfect. Caitlin finally had somewhere she would be safe, with a family that cared about her.

Between you and me, that was the only thing she had wanted for Christmas and I think it's safe to say that she got her wish.

Little did she know how many crazy adventures were to come...

 **A/N**

 **And that's the end of this story, but the beginning of many more.**

 **As for where I'm going to take this, I will be writing a New Year's one short. After that I will be taking a break but I will be writing a couple of one shots every once in a while up until the summer when I'm going to do another several chapter story.**

 **A quick of disclaimer:**

 **I don't own any of the characters other than Caitlin, Martin and Aubrey who might make an appearance at some point.**

 **Now for a few "thank you's".**

 **I really want to thank my friend who helped me write the Halloween chapter because I was suffering from severe writer's block and couldn't think straight. He's also read the entire story and as been a great support throughout all of this.**

 **I also want to thank you lot who have read and reviewed. You have helped me improve my writing and have made me laugh with some of your theories. Sometimes I have needed it.**

 **Well I'll be seeing you next time, and as they say...**

 **Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all!**


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